The Cast Shadow: Splintered Thorn
by ZephyranthestheExalted
Summary: Lily starts her first year at Hogwarts expecting a wild but wonderful time there. However, her father's past soon catches up to her and her friends at Hogwarts and suddenly they find themselves wound in another conflict where no one knows who to trust. The first book in my series called The Cast Shadows. Read and review! Rated M for some darker chapters later.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or anything affiliated with it. Only the plot belongs to me.**

Sunday mornings are usually quiet and calm in the Potter household. The solitary shrill chirps of birds and the occasional whooshing of the wind were the indications of a drowsy family. The peace of the first Sunday in June, of the year 2019, was abruptly broken, when an owl flew into the living room and sat itself on the dining table. A brown owl, this was, and it was carrying a large letter in its beak, because that is what owls usually carry. A drowsy girl, of age 11, came down the stairs rubbing her eyes, quite obviously annoyed by the sudden intrusion on her sleep.

"What's all this commotion? Who're you?" she stopped when she noticed the bird; her eyes widened and her mouth bent into a smile when she saw what the owl was carrying. The bird cocked its head in confusion. She ran towards the table, and grabbed the letter from the owl, much to its chagrin, and furiously opened it.

"Yes! Finally! Mum, dad, come down! It's important." she shouted up the stairs. A scuffle was heard, then two face popped out from a room on the left side of the landing.

"What is it, dear?" asked the woman, the mother, obviously. She stepped down the stairs then made her way over to the table, where she took her daughter's hand and started reading the letter.

"Dear Miss Potter, we are pleased to inform you that you have a place at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on the first of September. We await your owl by no later than the thirty-first of July. Yours sincerely, Neville Longbottom, Deputy Headmaster.

"That's great, dear. Now we have to go shopping for all your stuff, come on. Harry? What's keeping you?"

"Nothing, Gin. Just trying to get this stupid hair in place!"

"You're such a girl, daddy. Nobody cares that your hair is so messy."

"Hey! You guys spend just as much time as I do!" they rolled their eyes, and made their way to the front door.

"We're going out, Harry. Lily just got her admission letter from Hogwarts."

"That's great, Lily bear!"

"You're gonna have to write that reply slip!"

"Oh, not again," groaned Harry. "I wrote the last one!"

"I know, but if you're gonna fuss about with your appearance all day, we'll never get time to get Lily her stuff!"

They heard an audible grumble from upstairs, and they shared a small giggle.

"Stay safe, Gin!" was heard as they stepped out onto the street. Lily held onto her mother as she pulled out her wand and they were sucked away into a tight rubber tube. They were here.

Street after street of restaurants, shops and other sights were what Lily was looking at right now. The wizarding central of wizarding London, Diagon Alley was always a sight to behold. Packed to the brim with witches and wizards, Diagon Alley was the place where you would go if you had something you wanted to buy.

"Come on, Lily. This way." Lily followed her mother through the streets. She stared around at all the shops, wondering what was inside them.

"Ah, quills. Here we are." Lily looked up. _Amanuensis Quills. _The shop was a drab maroon colour, with hardly any decorations at all. They inside wasn't much better either. Shelves upon shelves of different sized, coloured and designed quills could be seen. The shopkeeper stood up as they entered.

"Ah, Mrs Potter. How wonderful to see you again! Oh, another little Potter? Just got her letter?"

"Yes, Mr Malkin. How's the wife?"

"Yes, yes. She's fine. Always spending an awful long time in her dressing room. Uh, if you'd like to step this way. Now, little Miss Potter, what sort of quill do you normally use? Long? Short?"

"I'm not really sure..." Lily had never used a quill before. She always used the muggle pens that her brothers got her.

"Oh, alright then. Uh...here let me see your hand." She held out her hand, and the man took it and started inspecting it closely.

"Mmhm. You look like you write with ball-points a lot, don't you? You'd like a long quill, with a stubby grip." He let go and shuffled around in the shop for a few moments before taking a small box from one of the shelves. He handed it to her, saying, "I'm sure this will be to your liking."

She opened it and gasped when she saw the quill. The feather was light blue, with the tip sharpened with an ivory casing around it, which she presumed was the grip. The casing itself was adorned with intricate patterns all over it. The whole product was stunning.

"So?"

"I'll take it!" she looked at her mother with a wide smile. She smiled back.

"I never had such an extravagant quill like this one. Keep it safe and in good condition."

"Will do, mum!" After paying, Ginny took her daughter next door to _Madame Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. _This store was more lively than the quill shop, and many more people were stood in and outside of it. They entered it, and Ginny went to the till, leaving Lily standing there on her own. People were drifting out of the shop, and then she saw him. In the back of the shop, a boy with a pale face was standing next a footstool, whilst a witch led a magical tape measure around him. He had short, blonde hair that was combed perfectly. His eyes, a bright blue, nearly silver, twinkled with humour as he turned his head in Lily's direction. She turned away quickly, blushing profusely, then quickly went to find her mother. She was standing next an elderly witch, who had a kind face and was holding out different sized robes for her mother to look at. Lily neared them, and Ginny turned her head.

"Here, Lily. Try these on for size. I think they'll fit you nicely." The elderly woman slipped the robes onto Lily, and started to walk around her, inspecting the size. It was a perfect fit.

"Why don't you wander a bit, Lily, while I pay for this." Lily just nodded, then exited the shop. Taking a deep breath, she stretched her arms out, only to hit someone. She turned abruptly, shocked to see the boy again, with a startled expression worn on his face.

"Careful there, wouldn't want to hurt anybody, would you?" He had a soft voice, similar to her father's when he was relaxed. His eyes were kind, and his mouth was bent upwards in a smirk. Lily hadn't realised she'd been staring at him until he spoke again.

"Father says you should apologise after you hit someone, it's common courtesy." He now had a slight arrogant tint in his voice, and Lily started having second thoughts. "I'm just messing with, girl. Scorpius. Scorpius Malfoy." He held out his hand after his introduction.

"Lily. Lily Potter." She knew who he was from his name. Her father often mentioned the name Malfoy when he told his stories of the childhood. She knew, from those stories that Malfoy was often getting Harry into trouble, but after they graduated, had become a better person. She hoped it had passed onto his child too.

"Ah, another Potter." Lily rolled her eyes at this. "I know your brother, he's my friend."

"I know, he talks about you, you know."

"Does he now? And what does he say about me." Lily was about to answer when a tall, blonde man stepped into her view. He had a cane in his left hand, and various bags in his right.

"Hello, Father. I was just talking to Lily here. She's Albus' sister." The man looked surprised.

"I didn't know they spawned yet another child. Must be Weasley genes." he mused. Lily was shocked at his words. How dare he say such things, especially against her family. "I only jest. Is that your mother there, Lily? You better go before someone steals you away." Then, the two blondes strode away. She couldn't help but marvel at how similar Scorpius and his father looked. The way they dressed, the way they walked. It was as if they were twins, differing only in height. She knew this Scorpius. When her brother entered Hogwarts two years ago, he had been sorted into Slytherin. He was so upset, judging by his letter he sent home on the first day. Her father had tried to comfort him in his reply letter, but couldn't physically help him. By the summer, however, his fears seemed to have vanished, for he found friends in Slytherin. He talked of Scorpius and another boy whose name she could not recall. Her parents were very pleased, and had even invited the Malfoys round for dinner. The dinner never happened, but Albus often met up with Scorpius, and she had seen him once or twice last year. He looked so different now, in his third year at Hogwarts. She wondered what house she would be sorted into, and silently contemplated how it would be like if she was in Slytherin as well. Her big brother, James, was in his fifth year at Hogwarts and was sorted into Gryffindor, as were all the rest of her cousins. She wanted to be like Albus. Different.

"Lily!" Her mother called, looking out from the shop.

"Coming, mum!" Ginny was holding a large bag in her arms and they looked quite stuffed. "Do I really need that many robes?"

"Yes, it said so on the sheet." Just then, Lily's stomach started grumbling. She hadn't realised it had been that long since they woke up. Her mother glanced at her, then said, "Let's go home and make some lunch shall we?"

"What about my books?"

"Oh, We have spares at home, it's all fine. We'll get your wand tomorrow, when your father can accompany you. He knows more about wands than me." They linked arms and were sucked into the tight rubber tubing that was apparition, once again.

Back at the house, Lily was sitting on her bed when a knock on her door was heard.

"Come in." she said, and in strode Albus. Her brother sat down next to her, and handed her a book. She opened it, expecting some sort of prank, but instead it was a photo album with none of the pages filled.

"It's a photo album. I thought you might want it. After all, James got you that camera, so I thought it would be nice if you had some place to store those photos." Although James was very kind to her, Albus was the quiet, thoughtful one. He always knew how to cheer her up when she was down. He knew what presents to get her. Always. James, on the other hand, was loud and boisterous. It wasn't too bad, but it could get annoying quickly. She hugged him.

"Thanks, Al. I couldn't have asked for anything better." He didn't say anything, just hugged her back. After a while, he got up and exited the room. She stared at the photo album and promised herself that she would make the most out of the camera, and thus the photo album. She lay back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling and musing over how great her family was. Her eyelids, drooping closer and closer together, signified her tiredness and she yawned. She fell asleep like that, lying with her back on the bed, hair sprawled out behind her, like a fan.

At midnight, her father came into her room, checking to see if she was asleep. He found her, snoring quietly, clutching a photo album. He shook his head and smiled to himself before tucking her into her duvet. She snuggled into it, then peeked one eye open.

"Thanks dad." She smiled at him before closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep again.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or anything affiliated with it. Only the plot belongs to me.**

The following day, Harry woke to the smell of bacon and sausages. He got up quickly, delighted that his wife was making such a delicious breakfast, washed and changed. When he came down the stairs, he was surprised to see that it wasn't, in fact, Ginny cooking. Lily was standing there with her back to him by the stove. She held a spatula in one hand and a plate stacked with bacon, eggs and sausages in the other. When she heard him sitting down in the chair, she turned round and walked over to the table.

"Morning, dad."

"Morning, bear. What's this? I didn't know you'd be up this early today."

"You're helping me choose my wand, right? So I thought I'd treat you to an extra special breakfast."

"Thanks, Lily bear. I'll just finish this and then we'll go." He started eating and Lily walked off, heading upstairs. Half an hour later, she came back down fully dressed.

"You ready?" She nodded in response, then stepped out with her father onto the street. Similar to the day before, they apparated to Diagon Alley, but this time they were in front of a large building. It was an imposing sight, with snow-white marble walls. It towered over the neighbouring shops. The road split at the building, one road heading onwards, but the other (a darker route, with hardly any light penetrating the crevices) seemed to go down at a slant. She recognised this place and she looked up above the doors: _Gringotts Bank. _Her father often took her here, but she was wondering why they were here.

"Daddy, I thought we were getting me a wand."

"We are, just be patient. I have to pick something important up first." Her father's hand was gripping hers tighter now, and she was slightly suspicious of what he could be talking about. They headed inside and she saw a vast marble hall, which she guessed was the reception. Two long rows of high-seated goblins were working away, and at the end of the hallway was a high pedestal with a lone goblin flanked by two Ministry Guards wielding Probing Probes. The goblin looked extremely old, with white tufts of hair sprouting from the sides of his head, and a small pair of glasses seated low on his nose. They strode down the hallway and Harry placed his wand in front of the goblin.

"Vault four hundred and thirteen. Harry Potter." he spoke clearly, but Lily could tell that he was a bit nervous. She had never heard her father mention a vault four hundred and thirteen, either, but then again her this was Harry Potter. He was very rich and she wouldn't be surprised if he had more vaults that she didn't know about. The goblin stepped down onto the ground and motioned to the side. Another goblin appeared, this one looking much younger than the receptionist, and he took the wand. After a thorough check, the goblin smiled and handed the wand back to her father.

"Follow me, Mr Potter," the younger goblin said after a long silence. "As you know, the vault you requested hasn't been opened in a long time."

"I know, there's something in there that is of great importance." The goblin eyed her father curiously, then motioned for them to follow him. They entered the cage behind the pedestal, where a cart lay waiting. They clambered in, then the goblin pulled a lever that dropped them under the ground floor of the bank and into the vast chasm beneath. Lily peered over the edge of the cart and looked down. The cave spanned for miles, and she couldn't even see where it ended. Cart tracks twisting and turning all around the cave converged, at one point, beneath a waterfall. The _Thief's Downfall; _a charmed waterfall that washes away any enchantment that may be surrounding a person.

The cart sped through the caverns, through the waterfall (which she despised since her clothes and hair got all wet every time) and stopped before a large platform. An impressive looking platform, the ceiling of the cave was held up by tall columns of varying lengths arranged in a circular fashion. In the centre of the columns lay a large stone sphinx. It turned its head as the goblin, Harry and her neared it.

"Ah, Blagnok. To what do I owe this...pleasure?" The sphinx's thunderous voice suddenly entered her head.

"It speaks using legilimency. All goblins know how to use it, but only a few are Occlumens." _Legilimency_, the art of magically navigating through the many layers of one's mind. Lily knew of it, but she herself was not a Legilimens nor an Occlumens. Again, the sphinx's voice rang through her head.

"Anyhow, here's your random riddle for the day." the sphinx paused to think, then its eyes turned red. The voice came again, but this time it was steely and Lily felt her insides go slightly cold.

"I have four wings, but cannot fly, I never laugh and never cry; On the same spot I'm always found, toiling away with little sound. What am I? "

Lily felt dust fly against her face and she squinted, then saw that on the ground by her feet, the riddle had been inscribed on the ground. An arrow also appeared next to the words and started turning.

"We have five minutes to try and solve it, or we get shut out. This is..." her father motioned with his hands, "high security." They set to work. Lily sitting down by the riddle on the ground, and Harry scratching at his beard. Four minutes later, Harry shouted, "I've got it!" He walked across to the sphinx and whispered the answer in its ear. The riddle inscription disappeared, as did the arrow. The sphinx stared long and hard at Harry, who stared just as hard back. After a while, the sphinx opened its wings and a hole appeared beneath the left wing.

"Come on then." The goblin, Blagnok, moved towards the hole, but Lily hung back, not sure of what to do. It was her father that spoke up.

"It's fine, bear. There's a ladder. Look, I know this isn't the most pleasant of visits, but please just hang in there for me, yeah?"

"Yeah, ok." She smiled up at her father. He always could get her to smile, even in the most distressing of situations.

"Is something the matter?" asked Blagnok.

"No, no. Everything's fine. Come on, Lily." she followed her father to the hole, then made her way down the ladder. At the bottom, was a narrow corridor, but the light could not penetrate very far down the passage so they were, effectively enveloped in darkness. Her father sighed and pulled out his wand.

"Lumos." Nothing happened. He tried again, but still to no avail. "What's this about, Blagnok?"

"Magic won't work down 'ere. We charmed it so that only goblin magic can work. Watch." Lily and her father watched as Blagnok pulled out a small orb about the size of his fist. He placed his other other on top of it and then pressed a button on the side. Suddenly, there was a bright flash and they all squinted, waiting for their eyes to adjust, then opened their eyes again to find that they were bathed in a pale red glow, the source of which was the orb. Blagnok led them down the passage until they came to a door. This door was completely embedded in the wall, and there were no discernible hinges. The whole thing seemed to be part of the wall, was it not for the glow of the orb. Running his hands over the door, Blagnok found a part of the door that had a lighter colour than the stone around it. It opened up and Blagnok raised his arm to Harry.

"Wand." Harry passed it over and Blagnok placed it into the door section that had opened up. As soon as the wand was placed in there, a dull crack was heard and the whole wall started to shake. Lily grabbed her father's arm for support, as the whole structure collapsed around them, except for the door. All of a sudden, great stone pieces fell from the top of the cavern down and they arranged themselves around the door until the corridor was built up again. Then, the door moved inwards and opened up for them to enter the vault. Lily had been staring in wonder at the whole scene since she had never experienced such an immersive display of magic before. She began to enter the vault, but her father cut her off.

"No, Lily. There are things in there that you needn't see. Stay out here." His face was soft, but his voice was sincere. She couldn't believe it. Not only had her father delayed her in getting her wand and dragged her here to Gringotts, but he had also deemed her too young or something of going into the vault. What a waste of time, and to be deemed unworthy, _unworthy_, by her own father; it was just so unbelievable. She knew she was being pretentious, but she just couldn't get the feeling out of her head. She decided, since they were probably going to be in there for quite a while, she would go exploring for a bit. Heading towards the hole that would lead outside, she felt her way along the wall until she felt the breeze from the top. Grabbing the ladder, she pulled herself up and started climbing. Before long, she saw some light above. Climber faster, she soon reached the top, and then stood up and look around. It was the same corridor that she had just climbed out from. But that was impossible. She had just climbed up from that passage. This couldn't have happened, she knew she didn't pass any other floors as she was climbing down earlier, yet here she was- on another floor, but on the same floor. Puzzled, she headed up again, only to find that she was still climbing up to the same corridor. Shaking her head, she made her way to the vault entrance, where she saw her father and the goblin looking at her.

"Eh, you were trying to get out, weren't you?" Blagnok looked smug, surprisingly. "Ya can't."

"Yeah, I know now. Thanks for telling me(!)" Lily wondered how it could've happened.

"Once the vault door's open, the ladder creates a loop, so you will always climb back up to this floor. No one can get in either. It's the perfect security measure," he said, as he waddled back to the ladder. Her father following, he placed an arm around her and asked, "What was that about? Where were you going?"

"I don't know, dad. I was just bored." She noticed the package he held in his arms. A slender parcel, wrapped in some sort of cloth. Deciding not to pursue the matter in fear of making her father angry, she just stared at the ground while she walked.

"Oh, I'm sorry for making you wait."

"But-" but Harry had already climbed up the ladder. Mumbling to herself, she also made her way up the ladder.

Back outside on the street, Harry led Lily to the south side of Diagon Alley, where they found a rather run-down tall building. _Ollivanders, Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C. _was clearly written above the door, and Harry took Lily's hand and they went inside. They were met with a warm room, high shelves with thousands of narrow boxes containing wands were piled right up to the ceiling of the tiny shop, and the whole place had a thin layer of dust about it. An elderly man sat at a desk opposite the door, who greeted them when they came in.

"Ah, Harry, my dear boy. It's wonderful to see you again. Who's this, another child of yours?"

"I'm Lily, Lily Potter."

"Oh! You have your mother's hair; her wand was twelve inches, hazel and with a core of dragon heartstring, if I remember correctly. Quite powerful that one. Now yours, Mr Potter. Ha, that is one I'll never forget! Eleven inches, this one, with wood of holly and a phoenix feather core. Do you still have it?" He had his hand out already, as if he knew Harry still had his wand. Her father took it out of its holster and handed it to Ollivander, who took at and gave it a once over.

"Yes. Still as supple as it was all those years ago. You've been keeping it in good condition, I hope?"

"Yes, yes. Of course." Neither Lily or Mr Ollivander were convinced and Harry's cheeks became peppered with tinges of pink.

"Anyway, today's visit is about you, isn't it, Miss Potter?"

"Yes, Mr Ollivander. I'm to go to Hogwarts this year, so I'm in need of a wand."

"Right you are. Okay, which is your wand arm?"

"My right arm, but I can use my left arm if I wanted. I used daddy's wand by accident a few years ago." said Lily.

"Hmmm...hold out your arm. That's it." He measured Lily from shoulder to finger, then wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit and round her head. As he did so, he asked Harry, "How's that scar of yours, Harry? Still hurting?"

"No, not any more. It stopped after the War."

"Yes, it would have, after _he _died." Lily shivered a bit at the way he said the word 'he'.

"Not now, Ollivander."

"Yes, yes. Sorry, my boy. There we go, all done. Now, I'll find you your first wand, Miss Potter." He strode off into the maze of shelves and left Lily and her father standing in the entrance of the shop. Soon enough, he returned with narrow box.

"Try this one. Holly, unicorn tail hair, nine inches. Quite whippy, but I'm sure you can handle it." Lily took the wand from the box and gave it a wave. Nothing happened, so Mr Ollivander took it from her. Going back to the shelves, he picked out another one.

"Try this one. Maple, and dragon heartstring. Ten inches. Quite stiff. Go on." She barely raised the wand before Ollivander snatched it from her hand again. "No, no. Not this one. You're quite tricky aren't you? Just like your father, eh?" he said with a chuckle whilst flitting from shelf to shelf, taking down boxes. He piled the boxes onto the spindly chair behind the desk then handed one to Lily.

"Here, Ivy and phoenix feather. Eight inches-" yet again, he took it from her before she could do anything with it. Wand after wand she tried, but none would be fitting for her. It was getting late, and Harry was reminded of when he came to visit with Hagrid back in 1991. The stack of wands was getting smaller as Lily tried out the various wands. Eventually, a purple velvet box was given to Lily. The wand itself was thirteen inches, light brown with a black, painted handle. The handle was extravagantly designed, with the wood cut into a twisting pattern, similar to a spiraling staircase around a central column.

"A rare wand, this one. Holly, with the very uncommon Veela hair core." Lily noticed that her father raised his brow at this statement. The three of them stared at the wand, before Lily pulled it out and held it. A warm feeling surged through her body and she raised the wand, giving it a wave. A spark of light shot out through the end and sent a few papers scattering from the small desk.

"Yes! Yes, yes, yes! This is the wand for you, my girl. Well, how interesting. This must be such a small world..." She placed the wand back in the box and enquired, "What is it? What's so special about it?"

"You see, Veela hairs are very hard to come by. A Veela will die -or be horribly disfigured- if just one hair is plucked from their head, or so they say. Veelas are very irascible, and so they never give up their hairs lightly. This wand core was given up by my old friend, Natalie Monique, on her deathbed. Use this wand carefully, Miss Potter. Veela hair wands are known to be...temperamental." Harry paid eight Galleons for her wand and left the shop with Mr Ollivander bowing to them. The late afternoon sun shone dimly under the midsummer sky. Harry didn't speak as they made their way back through Diagon Alley, letting Lily marvel at her new wand.

* * *

The young boy stood alone in the dining room. His eyes, a brilliant blue, was surrounded by bruising. His hair, a bright blonde, was matted against his forehead, mud dirtying it. The floor, marble and polished until it reflected his image perfectly, was tainted with red. Blood. He stood silently, clutching his wand, sweat dripping off his brow and tears falling from his eyes. Two bodies lay on the floor- a man and a woman- who he once knew. Once, but no more. Collapsing, he felt the marble touch his skin; it was cool to touch, complementing the cold feeling he had within him. He closed his eyes, and willed for an end. An end to the pain in his chest, but all he felt was guilt. Guilt, so scarring and torturous. Far off, he could here the whip-like cracks of apparition and the shouts of various people. Too late. The Aurors had come too late. The deed was done, and they couldn't stop it. He gasped, the pain in him reaching critical, and curled up into a ball. He saw a man enter his view as he squinted, but then all the world turned to darkness.

**A/N: can you guess the answer to the riddle? Leave your suggestions as a comment/review! _**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or anything affiliated with it. I only own the plot.**

July passed quickly for Lily. A few visits from her cousins was all she had time for as she prepared her things to go to Hogwarts. Mostly, she spent her time with Hugo, her cousin, younger brother to Rose and the son of Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione. He was her age as well, was set to go to Hogwarts that year, and had also gotten his luggage ready. When alone, she normally kept to her room, reading various muggle stories and girly magazines.

On the second day of August, she awoke to a great weight above her. In fact, it felt like various great weights and she turned her head to find her two brothers sitting smugly on her. She shrieked and moved her legs to kick them off, or tried to. They were sat firmly down and were not budging, which made her unable to move as well. They both wore grins on their faces as she tried continuously to get them off. Deciding it was a fruitless affair, she yelled out, "Mum, Al and James are sitting on me! It's bloody annoying," then in a quieter, but seething voice to her brothers, "and its going to get them in deep trouble."

At this, they both bolted out the room, shouting a very merry, "Happy Birthday, sis!"

Her mother entered the room soon after and sat down in her chair, also wishing her a happy birthday.

"Thanks mum. Now, what did you get me? Please don't say it's another knitted jumper like Nan's. I _hate _those. The wool keeps getting in my hair and messing it up!"

"Ah, no no, young lady. You better wash up and change before we give you any presents," she said as she rose from the chair to give her daughter a kiss on the forehead.

"You better hurry, Uncle Ron's coming over after lunch. And no, we didn't buy or knit you a jumper." Then, as she left the room, she said with a wink, "That's left for Christmas."

Lily groaned and made her way across the hall to the bathroom. After washing away the signs of sleep, she headed downstairs and found her family seated at the table with a large banner reading _Happy Birthday Lily!. _Without warning, the four of them shouted "Happy Birthday!" before each of them stood up and handed Lily their presents. Three packages now lay next to Lily as she sat by the dining table eating lunch. Then, a knock on the door interrupted the meal and Harry stood up to open the front door. In clambered Uncle Ron and Rose, who greeted the family whilst wishing Lily a good birthday. Glancing round, she couldn't help but notice the absence of Hugo and her Aunt Hermione.

"Aww, Lily! You're finally eleven! Time for you to join us at Hogwarts!" she handed Lily a small circular package with red wrapping paper. It rattled when she shook it.

"Thanks, Rose." She leaned over and gave Rose a long hug. Uncle Ron stepped in after Rose had left to talk to her parents.

"Mumblemumps, I'm afraid. Got it last night, heard him mumbling in bed," replied Uncle Ron when she asked him of Hugo's whereabouts. "Really unfortunate, he was looking forward to your birthday."

"Oh, well I hope he gets better soon," said Lily, looking saddened already. Her uncle spoke up once again.

"He'll be glad to hear of your well wishes, little Lily. Oh, and before I forget, we got you presents! Here, this one's from me and 'Mione," he handed a large package with purple wrapping paper. "And this one's from Hugo. He wanted you to get it today. No clue what it is, but he said it was important, so-" He shrugged, then also walked off.

Lily returned to her room after finishing her lunch, taking her presents with her. Opening the first one, a rectangular one from her brothers, she was surprised to find a Skiving Snackbox. Her brothers, being part of the Potter family, were great troublemakers. Often skipping lessons, they used the Snackboxes with wild abandon and were, according to her Uncle George, the "greatest customers I've ever had."She scoffed, "As if they'll ever get me skiving."She placed the Snackbox under her table then turned to the next present, from Rose.

It was a pink vanity box. So typical of Rose, she thought. Rose, at school, was a perfect student, but also quite the eye candy. She took full advantage of this, often attracting the boys in her year, and quite a few in the years above. From what she told Lily, she's had four boyfriends already, and those weren't counting snogs received from various other boys. Lily, however, was not so interested in getting a boyfriend, especially in her first year. It was a lovely gift, but Lily knew she wouldn't use it apart from on special occasions such as parties, or Christmas balls.

The next one she opened was from Hugo, which was small and light. Opening it, a few pieces of parchment fell out. Confused, she picked up the first one and on it was a note from her cousin reading 'Happy Birthday Lils! I hope you have a great day, but sadly I don't think I'll be there to give you your present. I'm mumbling to myself as I write this, I think I've got Mumblemumps,' she laughed. 'Anyhow, I got you a present. It's Messaging Parchment. You give it to a friend or someone and when you write something on your sheet, it automatically appears on theirs. Isn't that cool. You might need it when you're bored in class. Don't worry, I kept one for myself, seeing as you'll obviously write to me! (:p). See you at school, Hugo.' Lily smiled at the creativity of Hugo's present. This was something she would definitely use.

Moving onto the next present, from Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione, she opened it and found a long broomstick. It was made of ash (wood), dark brown and polished to give a slight glimmer. On one end, the wood disappeared beneath a nest of well trimmed twigs and on the other, the wood was cut so that it made a sort of handle, with the name tag inscribed on the wood: _Firebolt 18. _She jumped up in joy and gave a shout of glee. Always wanting a broom, her parents had denied her one deeming it too dangerous for one of such young age. This year, they must have thought she would need it Hogwarts if they allowed Uncle Ron to get her one. Marveling at skill obviously required to make such an object, she ran her hands over the smooth, well- lacquered wood and then hugged it tight.

A chirp suddenly sounded, and Lily jumped. Another chirp, and this time it was louder and followed by several more chirps. It was coming from the last present of the bunch, the present her parents gave her. A tall dome shaped present, wrapped in gold paper. She carefully tore off the paper and inside was a cage with a dark-coloured owl sitting on a branch suspended within. She gasped, not having expecting a pet. She opened the cage door and the owl hopped from its branch onto her arm. It cooed softly when she stroke the soft feathers. Around its right leg, it had a note attached. She took it and read it out, 'Dear Lily bear, I hope you liked this present. I had an owl when I was t Hogwarts, so it was only fitting that we got you one as well. It's a Greater Sooty Owl, and apparently it likes to eat squirrel, but I have no idea where you're going to get those! Anyway, have a very happy time at Hogwarts. Lovingly, Harry and Ginny.'

The bird chirped again, as it stared intently at Lily. Thinking back to her muggle books, she remembered the Greek titan of the breeze, Aura.

"Aura," the bird spread its wings when she said the name. "You like it, huh? That's your name, then. Aura."

"Lily, dinner!" The sound of her mother's voice floated up the stairs, to which Lily replied with a very loud grunt. Putting away the presents, she placed the owl on her desk and went downstairs.

During the dinner, the whole table was abuzz, with Uncle Ron and Rose there. Albus was talking to Rose, with James listening in. Her father was talking to Uncle Ron, which left her mother and her to talk between them.

"How were your presents, dear?" asked Ginny.

"They were great, mum,"replied Lily. "I'm so happy that you got me an owl! An owl, mum. Thank you so much!"

"I'm glad you liked him."

"Him?" Lily slapped her hand against her forehead with surprise. "I had no idea! I named it, well him now, Aura."

"That's a nice name."

"But it's a _girl _name, mum. He can't be called a girl name."

"Why ever not? I've never known anyone called Aura before, and it certainly doesn't sound like a girl's name. The important thing is, did he like it?"

"Well, yes. But-"

"Uh uh, if he likes it, he likes it. There's nothing you can do to change that. Your owl is called Aura."

"Ugh ok." groaned Lily, but then shared a quiet laugh with her mother. After dinner finished, Ron and Rose bade their farewells and made their way outside again. Lily and Albus were left standing in the doorway with big smiles planted on their faces. It had been a good day, and they were more than happy to make their way back upstairs and into their rooms.

* * *

The few weeks of the month passed by, and the days came to the first of September. Lily was already dressed in her robes when Ginny came into her room. Albus and James stood in the living room, with all their belongings beside them.

"Why do you _always _take so long, Lils?" moaned Albus, as he picked up his stuff and headed out the door to the family car.

"I don't! I just woke up late today."

"Yup, and you wake up late...everyday. Just perfect, Lils. We're gonna be late now."

"Watch it, young man," warned her mother. "You don't want to be grounded when you come back for Christmas, do you?"

He replied simply with a shrug of his shoulders before disappearing into the car.

They drove to Kings Cross, as they had done the past few years with Albus and James. She now stood in front of a solid metal ticket box, where the platform entrance was supposed to be. A man in a muggle suit stood next to it, looking stern and professional. Heading through the barrier for the first time was daunting for Lily. She stared long and hard at the metal box before pushing her trolley towards it, then paced herself into a slow jog. As she neared it, her eyes closed instinctively but she kept going. Opening her eyes, she found herself on a platform.

Magic would never stop impressing her so much. A scarlet steam train was stationed next to the platform which was packed full of people. She looked back to where she came from and saw a giant stone archway with the words _Platform Nine and Three-Quarters_ written on it. Smoke from the steam engine drifted its way across the platform above all the people's heads. She made her way down the platform in search of her brother, also looking for a carriage to find a seat in. The first few carriages were already full, so she pushed her cart further down. She passed a family of three who were embracing each other tightly. Then, she passed a small boy waving to a girl who was sticking half her body out a window of the carriage.

"Hey, Lils! Over here." a male voice shouted out over the hubbub of the families there. Lily recognised it immediately as her cousin, Hugo's. She pushed her cart over to where his was, and pulled him in for a hug.

"I've missed you, Hugs! So...you better from that dastardly Mumblemumps?"

"Uh huh. I missed your birthday though Lils. I'm sorry."

"It's ok, though you would've made the visit that much more lively." she said with a wink and they both laughed. Hugo turned his attention to the huge cage on top of her luggage.

"Is that an owl?"

"No, Hugo, it's a toad." He only rolled his eyes at that.

"What did you call it?"

"It's a him, and his name is Aura."

"Aura? That's a bit girly."

"Exactly, I tried telling mum, but she said it's just fine. Stupid owl doesn't know the difference."

"Who's a stupid owl?" a voice piped up behind her. Startled, she turned round to find her mum standing there.

"Aura is. He doesn't know what is and isn't a girly name."

"Still going on about this, dear?" Ginny shook her head. A glance at her watch made her shoo away Hugo and Lily. "Quickly! Quickly! The train's going to go in a sec! Love you guys, stay safe!"

"Love you too mum!"

"Don't have fun without us, Aunt Ginny!" they scrambled onto the train with all their things and headed down the carriage in search of an empty compartment. The car was arranged so that all the compartments lay to one side, with a narrow corridor stretching from one end to the other. The door between carriages showed the next carriage, but Lily couldn't see where the train ended.

"Here, Lils. An empty one." Lily ran down the carriage as fast as she could, with all her things, to the door Hugo stood waiting at. He went in, and Lily paused to look at the door. It was wooden with a large glass window covering half of it. At the top, a metal plate was placed that read _Car 4 Compartment 7. _She pushed the door open and entered the 'room'. The first thing she noticed was how much warmer it was than the outside corridor. There were two rows of seats each backed up against the walls of the compartment, with a maroon velvet covering. The window next the far side of the seats was wide and cleaned so that she could see clearly out the window. As she put her luggage into the slots above the seats, she realised that she could push all of her stuff into the space completely, and still continually fill it with more cases. She sat herself next to the window after putting away her luggage and looked out the window to spot her parents. There, behind so many other sentimental parents, stood her parents. Her father; one arm around her mother and the other waving, and her mother; both arms clutching a tissue and constantly dabbing at her eyes.

Lily stood up from the seat and waved back at them, tears beginning to fill her eyes as well. She was finally going. Her, the youngest of the family, was going to Hogwarts for the first time. She couldn't contain her excitement, yet she still felt a sadness as she knew that her parents would be alone for the majority of the year. She glanced at Hugo and saw him animatedly waving at his parents as well. Just then, a sudden jerk pulled them back to their seats. The train had begun moving.

"It's finally starting!" her cousin told her in a quiet voice whilst clutching his hands as fists. Yes. It was finally starting. A long year filled with excitement. Or it would be, she hoped. Looking back at her parents, she put her face right up against the window. Lily wanted to watch her parents until they were out of sight, but then a single tear dropped from her eye and she moved her hand to brush it off. The train went round a bend, and she could no longer see her parents or the platform. The journey had begun.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or anything affiliated with it. Only the plot belongs to me.**

Watching the scenery flash by gave Lily a great leap of excitement. She only hoped Hogwarts was as good as her brothers made it out to be. It wasn't long into the train journey before Hugo and Lily were joined by her two brothers, and Hugo's sister.

"Heya Lils," said James as he slid the compartment door shut behind him. He plopped himself down on the chair beside her and started to take out sweets from his pockets. Handing one to each person, he asked, "So Lils, ready for your first year at Hogs?"

Not trusting herself to speak without stuttering, she nodded her head. Her nerves were running amok inside her and she shivered a bit.

"Well, I've got to be going. Marks has asked me to gather with him to discuss Quidditch down at the front of the train. See ya guys." James gave them a small wave as he made his way out of the compartment. Slumping back in the chair, she glanced round the compartment, watching as Al and Rose conversed, and Hugo playing with a muggle toy device. Closing her eyes, she breathed deeply a few times to clear her clouded mind.

A knock on the compartment door startled her and the rest of its occupants. Outside, a girl stood nervously. She spoke, her tiny voice barely audible above the chug of the train.

"Um-Sorry-Is there any space here? All the other compartments are full."

"Yeah, sure. Make yourself comfortable." replied Hugo. She sidled into the room, and placed her luggage above the seats. Lily fixed her gaze on the girl. She had waist length sandy-blond hair, with striking blue eyes. She reminded Lily of the Scorpius boy she met in Diagon Alley. A mere coincidence, she thought.

"Hello, my name's Lily. Lily Potter." She held out a hand for the girl to shake. She seemed hesitant of the gesture, but shook it after a few seconds, returning the introduction.

"Phoebe Greengrass. I know you, you're Harry Potter's daughter aren't you?" Lily smiled at her.

"Greengrass? You can't be...are you a relative of Scorpius? Scorpius Malfoy?" Albus had interrupted, shaking a hand in front of Phoebe's face. She was taken aback, but still answered.

"Yes. He's my cousin. My mother is his mother's elder sister."

"Daphne Greengrass, right?"

"Yes. My daddy died when I was young, and mother changed her surname back to Greengrass, as did I." Albus sat back in his chair, quietly inspecting the girl, who seemed a bit more comfortable now.

"That's Albus, my brother. That's Hugo, and she's Rose. They're my cousins." Lily said to the girl. She nodded and gave a slight curtsy to each of them.

"So, you were brought up like Scorpius, then? Very formal and polite, hey?" asked her brother.

"Yes...Albus."

"Where is he, anyway? I haven't seen him, or his parents-"

"He's ill." she quickly said, sharply cutting him off. Albus furrowed his brow, as if in deepthought. A person in the room that was not her family was pleasant for Lily, as she could create conversation. The journey passed much quicker after the entrance of Phoebe; she and Lily quickly became close due to them being the youngest girls in each of their families. Lily was an oddball in her family, even including Albus, since she wasn't that interested in the fame she received from being the daughter of Harry Potter. Phoebe was also quite an individual in her family due to her lack of prejudice against non-Purebloods. Her family was dead set against the Ministry's policies and were apparently, according to Phoebe, rousing a revolution again. She said it was nothing to worry about, as her mother was deeply ill and probably spouting nonsense. Lily fell asleep soon after, only to be awoken by Hugo as they neared their destination.

After the train pulled into Hogsmeade station, Lily and Hugo got off the train together. The first thing they felt was the chilly air of the night, and their breaths creating a small cloud right before their eyes. Lily saw a giant figure on the edge of the platform, lantern in hand and waving the newcomers to him.

"Firs' years over 'ere. Firs' years this way!" Hagrid called. Lily and Hugo ran over to him.

"Hey Hagrid!" greeting him excitedly and pulling him into a hug. Even on tiptoes, they barely reached the height of his waist. Hagrid looked down at them and greeted them back.

"Well look who it is! If it ain't the two littlest rascals. Great ter finally see you here a' Hogwarts," he motioned at the boats that lay on the lake next to the station. "Well, what're you waitin' for. Hop, we got a lot ter do tonigh'."

They both grinned happily as they joined Phoebe in a boat. As they floated across the lake, everyone was silent until the castle came into view. Then. whispers and murmurs erupted from all the boats.

"Wow..."

"It's so beautiful-"

"and large!"

When they finally reached the underground dock, Hagrid led them all up to the Entrance Hall. There stood her 'uncle', Neville Longbottom, who was also the Deputy Headmaster of Hogwarts following his promotion from a Herbology teacher.

"Well, here they are, Neville. I've gotta move the boats, so you'll take 'em in won't ya."

"Yes, Hagrid, thank you." With that, Hagrid left, leaving them with Neville stood in front of the crowd of first years.

"Welcome, all of you, to Hogwarts. My name is Professor Neville Longbottom, and I am the Deputy Headmaster of this school. As many of you know this is a wizarding school so your education here will be based around various aspects of magic. We have strict school rules and codes of conduct, which you must abide by or you run the risk of being punished. We are about to enter the Great Hall, but before you can do any eating, you must first be sorted.

"There are four Houses which you can be sorted into. These Houses are like your family. You will eat with them, sleep with them and have classes with them. The houses are Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin. While in these houses, you will compete with the other houses to attempt to win the House Cup, which is presented to a house annually. To win, each house must attempt to collect as many house points as they can, which will be awarded by members of staff, teachers and the Head Boy and Girl. Performing well, or good deeds may earn you points but trouble making will cause you to lose points." He paused to look at them all, but suddenly a spark of light shot out through the doors, which were still closed. The first years all gasped in wonder. Neville turned and motioned for the group to follow him. The doors opened automatically as he neared them, and he led them through the Great Hall.

Lily and Hugo stared in awe at the massive room before them. The tall columns stretched up as far as the eye could see, and the ceiling was barely visible as there were dark clouds hanging within the room. Hundreds of candle, floating about the room, were lit, illuminating the expanse of the hall. Four long rows of tables were present, which Lily presumed were divided into the different houses, and above each row of table were sweeping banners with emblems of each house. She could see most of her family sitting at the table to the far right with multiple Gryffindor banners drooping down from above. At the end of the hall, a long table, perpendicular to the others, was placed on a raised platform. That must be the teacher's table, thought Lily.

The first year students stopped before the platform, and Lily spied a small stool on which a large, dusty, grey hat was placed. The students all looked at it, expecting some sort of creature to appear from under it. Then the hat twitched. A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth, and the hat began to sing:

"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,

But don't judge on what you see,

I'll eat myself if you can find

A smarter hat than me.

You can keep your bowlers black,

Your top hats sleek and tall,

For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat

And I can cap them all.

There's nothing hidden in your head

The Sorting Hat can't see,

So try me on and I will tell you

Where you ought to be.

You might belong in Gryffindor,

Where dwell the brave at heart,

Their daring, nerve, and chivalry Set Gryffindors apart;

You might belong in Hufflepuff,

Where they are just and loyal,

Those patient Hufflepuffis are true And unafraid of toil;

Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,

if you've a ready mind,

Where those of wit and learning,

Will always find their kind;

Or perhaps in Slytherin

You'll make your real friends,

Those cunning folk use any means

To achieve their ends.

So put me on! Don't be afraid!

And don't get in a flap!

You're in safe hands (though I have none)

For I'm a Thinking Cap!"

The whole hall burst into applause as the hat finished its song. It bowed to each of the four tables and then became quite still again.

"When I call your name, please could you place the hat on your head and sit on the stool." explained Neville. "Allison, John!"

A scrawny looking boy with fair hair made his way up to the stool. The whole hall was silent as they watched the sorting. A few moments later, the hat shouted, "RAVENCLAW!" a few claps, along with cheering from the Ravenclaw table followed, as the boy made his way to his house table. The next student was called, and the next.

"Greengrass, Phoebe!" Lily's ears perked at the sound of her new friend's name. She waited until she heard the hat speak.

"SLYTHERIN!" it shouted, and Lily started applauding along with the Slytherin table. She smiled at Phoebe as she walked to the table. Lily became quite bored as the hat called out the houses for each person, but soon Neville called out her name.

"Potter,Lily!" Suddenly, the whole hall broke out in quiet whispers. As she walked to the stool, she saw everyone staring quite openly at her and her nervousness increased tenfold. She put on the hat and sat quietly on the stool as the whispers died down. Then it spoke.

_Ah yes, another Potter. Well, I must say you are quite extraordinary, much like your brother. You don't want to be sorted away from your family, but you don't want to be like them either. Hmmm, your brother was quite like this. Perhaps you'd like to join him._

She kept her mind empty as the hat mumbled, not wanting to be sorted based on her personal decisions. She wanted to be sorted for the person she was.

_You're brave, I'll give you that, but there's something else. You're stubborn, and you'd stop at nothing to get what you really desire. Yes, that's really quite interesting. Well, there's only one place to put you then, and that's-_

"SLYTHERIN!" For a few seconds, the whole hall was silent. Then a light clapping came from one end of the hall. She looked up and saw Albus standing up and clapping. Soon, everyone else on the Slytherin table, and quite a few from the other houses, was cheering and clapping for her as she made her way to sit down. She chose a seat next to Albus and Phoebe. The Sorting ended soon after, with Hugo joining Gryffindor along with the rest of her family. She wasn't upset with the hat's choice, as she knew it was where she belonged. She watched as Professor Longbottom took the hat and the stool away, allowing an elderly main to rise from the teacher's table.

"Hello, everyone! Welcome back to another year at Hogwarts. I am Headmaster Bennett and I wish the newcomers a pleasant welcome." He started clapping and the whole hall started to applaud and cheer once again. "Ahem- just a few words before we get cracking. Uh, bumble, tumble, twiddle and dee! Thank you and let the feast begin!"

The plates in front of Lily were suddenly piled high with all sorts of food. She knew about this from her brothers, but now that she saw it with her own eyes she was quite amazed. She started taking food of every sort; roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops and lamb chops, sausages, bacon and steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, fries, Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, gravy and ketchup.

"Careful Lils, don't want to get do you?" her brother asked as he leaned of to take some of her food. She slapped her hand, exclaiming, "No! I'm hungry that's all. And don't you have your own food to eat, don't take mine!"

Phoebe laughed at this, but soon stopped as Albus turned to her plate and started stealing food from her as well.

"So, the Headmaster seems nice." she said to Albus.

"Haha, he's brilliant. He's so funny, and isn't that severe when it comes to punishment!" Lily wasn't convinced. Obviously her brother knew, due to the vast numbers of detentions he had received the previous year.

"Yeah, he gets pissed after a while, but he's normally quite nice." he continued. Albus started talking to a boy on the other side of the table, and Lily shifted her focus back to her food. During the meal, Lily was interrupted as a wisp of cloud floated straight through her. Alarmed, she looked up and saw a silvery translucent person staring right at her food. She jumped and nearly fell of her chair. She flushed a deep red at the embarrassing move, and turned to look at the ghost.

"Yes?"

"That looks nice, but then again, who am I to say that?

"Who are you?"

"Who am I? WHO AM I?" Lily was downright frightened now, but Albus was laughing his head off. "I'm the Bloody Baron of course, resident ghost of Slytherin."

"Yes, I can see why you would be called that." Phoebe commented, staring at his frock which had what looked like to be blood running down it.

"Humpf, stupid first years. No manners at all!" and the Bloody Baron floated away, down the table probably to scare some more unwilling first years.

With the feast finished, Professor Bennett tapped a cup to gain everyone's attention.

"Just a few more notices now that we are all stuffed. May I remind everyone that duelling is strictly forbidden. Students found doing so will be dealt with severely.

"First years should note that the school has a curfew at nine pm sharp. You must be inside your dorm rooms by that time, or you will have points taken away from their house.

"Also, the Forbidden Forest is out of bounds, as its name suggests. I hope you older students heed my warning _this _year." Lily swore he looked directly at the Gryffindor table where her family was gathered. A few chuckles broke out in the student body and amongst the teachers. Any student found entering the forest will suffer a punishment decreed by myself.

"Finally, the Black Lake has been cordoned off, as suggested by our caretaker Mr. Filch. Mysterious creatures have recently been emerging from its waters and you would do well to stay away from it. Thank you, and on that light note, I bid you all good night."

A smattering of applause, then the teachers made their way out through side doors. A few older students also stood and called for the first years. Lily made her way to the Slytherin Prefect as all the other students made their way out the Great Hall. The Prefect, a tall slender boy with greasy black hair and beady eyes waved for them to follow him.

"I'm Theodore Avery and I'm your sixth year Prefect." he said as he led them down into the dungeons. "If you have any questions, you can ask the prefects around the school, but unless it's important, don't bother asking me." His snobby voice disturbed Lily, and she noticed Phoebe was similarly distressed. Finally, they reached a stone wall and the prefect said, "This wall is the entrance to the common room. This fortnight's password is 'Merlin'. New passwords are posted

At the word, the stone wall disappeared, and Avery led them in. It was a dark room, green light shining from the windows as well as green glowing lanterns hanging around the edges of the room. The furniture was old fashioned and posh; a few tables lay around, with multiple chairs dotted around them. The floor was a velvet carpet, a luxurious material which also coated the chair seats and climbed up a few bits of the wall. Once the last person entered, the wall appeared again, closing off the entrance.

"Dormitories are that way," he pointed to the back of the room, where there were two staircases. "The girls' is up the right set of stairs, first room on the left. Boys, yours is down the left side and the last room down. Your things are in your rooms, and just remember one thing. We are Slytherins and we take pride in that. Winning the House cup is important, so don't do anything to disgrace us. Now go to your rooms."

Lily scoffed at his words and headed up the stairs to her room. Phoebe following, she saw entered it and saw four beds, each lined with soft green fabric and a small table next to each one. She found her things and got out her bed clothes to change into.

"Hey Lily, do you want to move your stuff here? That way, you get a bed next to mine."

"Yeah sure." she grabbed her things and dumped them under the bed next to the only window in the room. Having changed into her bed clothes, she jumped on the bed and sighed.

"It's been a long day, hasn't it Phoebe?"

"Yeah. I'm so glad I was sorted into Slytherin with you!"

"Me too. Let's make an agreement, hey? Let's stick up for each other and help one another in class."

"Oooh, I like the sound of that. Best friends!" Phoebe's eyes sparkled with excitement..

"Yes! Best friends." They pinky swore and giggled like little girls. Lily lay back on her bed and closed the hangings, settling down to sleep.

"Night Phoebs." Lily called out from her bed. Phoebe smiled and replied.

"Goodnight Lils." Sleep embraced the two quickly.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or anything affiliated with it. Only the plot belongs to me.**

"Look at her."

"Where?"

"Over there, so snobby."

Gossip followed Lily everywhere the next day. At breakfast, she sat with Phoebe but couldn't escape the gaze of everyone. Some were whispering whilst others were just glaring. Being the only daughter of Harry Potter had its perks, but her experiences at Hogwarts soon washed those away.

"Don't mind them, they're just jealous." Phoebe reassured her continually.

"That's exactly why they're staring. You don't know what it's like."

"Seriously Lils, you've got to ignore them." Lily scoffed.

"Easier said than done."

There was a lot more to magic than Lily initially expected. Her timetable was quite spread out, being a first year:

Mondays: Potions - Break - Transfiguration - free period- Lunch- Charms- History of Magic

Tuesdays: Defence Against the Dark Arts- Break- Flying*- Herbology- Lunch- Transfiguration- Astronomy

Wednesdays: Potions- Break- Charms- History of Magic-Lunch- Herbology- Astronomy

Thursdays: Defence Against the Dark Arts- Break- Transfiguration- History of Magic- Lunch- Charms- Astronomy

Fridays: Potions- Break- Defence Against the Dark Arts- Herbology- Lunch- free period- free period

*is a free period if one wishes not to attend flying classes

Classes were a little better, as the teachers quickly diverted the first years' attention. She was grateful, then, as she made her way back to the dungeons after dinner. The hundred and forty two staircases were all lying dormant. Back in her common room, she made her way over to her friend, who had left a seat empty for her at a table. Sheets laid out, Lily started working on her first homework set by her History of Magic master, Professor Binns. Glancing over at Phoebe's, she saw that hers was already half done. Scanning over the questions, she opened her textbook and started copying the text on the Gargoyle Strike of 1911.

"Heya Lils," called her brother as she was finishing off the final question.

"Hey Al."

"Wotcher doing?"

"History of Magic homework." She heard him chuckle.

"Yeah, those are the worst. Binns just doesn't teach does he? He's dead boring." they all laughed at this cheap joke. Sobering, Phoebe tapped Lily on the shoulder.

"I'm gonna go up now. Night!" then she said to her brother. "Night Albus!"

"Goodnight, Phoebe." she replied; her brother simply grunted his acknowledgement. Albus sat down in the chair Phoebe had vacated.

"So, how was your first day?"

"It was fine."

"Fine? Just- fine?" he didn't seem impressed. She shrugged.

"What else am I supposed to say?"

"I dunno. It was the best day of my life? I missed my brother sooooo much?"

"Haha, no Al. It was a good day."

"Mm. Well, I'm going to turn in as well. Goodnight Lils."

"Night Al." then he turned and left as well, leaving her on her own in the common room.

* * *

The first month of school went by in a blur. She had attended the flying lessons, like the rest of the first years, and had become very attached to her broom. On the first lesson on Tuesday, she had been the first one to successfully mount her broom, which earned her a haughty "Just like your father, Miss Potter!" from the teacher, Professor Hooch. Not being trusted to fly yet, all the first years had walked sullenly back to their rooms after the lesson.

Lily had a free afternoon on Fridays, so she took to exploring the school grounds. Wandering about on the seventh floor, she found a slightly battered tapestry showing a wizard trying to teach some trolls to ballet. Lily found the whole scene amusing which was accentuated by a giggle from her mouth. A shuffle from behind her tore her gaze away from it. A boy with light brown hair and a leering smile stood leaning against the wall opposite the tapestry.

"Hello." she began.

"Lily Potter." he said, simply, not bothering to keep the smirk off his face.

"Yes, that's me." Lily found his presence to be quite disturbing. The way he stood and his smirk- it made her shiver inside. He licked his lips.

"Craig Creevey, third year." he held out his hand for Lily to shake, but she looked at it with apprehension. It was sweaty and she had no desire to touch it. She backed away from him, exclaiming, "I need to go to the medical wing." She heard him shout after him, but she didn't look back.

The walk back to her room was the longest one yet, and she was glad when her bed came into view. Climbing in, she heard Phoebe coming out of the bathroom.

"Oh, Lily. Uh- someone wanted me to give this to you." she handed Lily a small folded letter. Opening it, she recognised Hagrid's large handwriting:

_Do you want to come down to my hut sometime? Leave me a message and I'll ask that cousin of yours too._

_Hagrid._

Hastily pulling out a piece of parchment from her trunk, she wrote her response:

_I'd love to, Hagrid. Thank you for asking. Perhaps on Sunday, after lunch?_

_Lily_

After writing it, she ran out the dorm, out of the common room and up to the top of the castle where the owls were kept. Handing it to Aura, she whispered, "Take this to Hagrid will you?" and handed Aura a small treat. Hooting, she took it gladly and flew off into the night.

Drip.

Lily felt a sudden wetness upon the back of her neck.

Drip.

Her hand went instinctively there, attempting to wipe it off.

Drip.

It was just water, as she realised, but where was the water coming from? She was in the owlery, at the top of a tower. Looking up, she saw nothing but cages each filled with owls of different sizes and species. Shaking, she made her way out of the owlery and back down towards the dungeons. Making her way back, she saw the water trickling past her, seemingly heading in the same direction. Walking faster, she managed to go at a sprint before coming to the main entrance hall of the school where there stood several teachers and her friend Phoebe.

Professor Bennett raised his wand at Lily, and she barely ducked out of the way before a stream of light burst from the tip of his wand. Landing in a heap on the ground, she heard several gasps and a shout from the group and looked back at the proceeding water flow.

Instead of a puddle of water as she was expecting, there stood a horse with a large bullrush mane. Its body, a clear blue, could be partially seen through, just like water. It shrieked, a loud ear-piercing shriek that made Lily cover her ears, and bolted towards the group of people. Another bolt of light, and the water creature burst, like a bubble, splashing water everywhere.

Phoebe was the first to react, rushing to Lily, who was now drenched from head to toe.

"What the hell was that?" gasped Lily, clinging tightly to her friend.

"A Kelpie, Miss Potter, and you are very lucky to be alive." replied the headmaster.

"What's a Kelpie?"

"A shapeshifting water demon, Miss Greengrass, and I'm sure you'll learn about them in a few years time, but for now could you please make your way back to your dormitories. It would be terrible if either of you got hurt." Nodding, Phoebe helped Lily up and they both started walking down towards their common room.

Back inside, the pair of them seemed to have attracted quite a crowd.

"What happened? Did you get hurt?"

"Was there really a demon out there?"

"Why are you so wet, Potter?"

The torrent of questions gave Lily quite a headache and she sent a pleading look in Phoebe's direction. She nodded and shouted,

"Shut up, I'm sure the teachers will tell you in the morning. Go back to your rooms, I think we all need some rest for now." She waved her hands about, shooing the interrogators away. A few of them were reluctant, but soon left the pair of them alone, muttering, "Being told what to do by first years, pah!"

Lily had never been so tired in her time at Hogwarts; the moment she crept into bed after washing, she fell asleep.

* * *

Sunday could not have come around quicker, thought Lily. As she made her way down to Hagrid's hut, she heard a boy's voice calling her. Recognising it as her cousin's, she ran over to him.

"Hiya Lils," he greeted.

"Hey Huey. You got the message then?"

"Yeah. I'm still surprised that you got attacked by that thing-Kelpie, was it? Damn, that must have been scary." she laughed.

"It wasn't really an attack, Huey, it just appeared. Professor Bennett was there, luckily. Come on, I'll tell you more when we get to Hagrid's." With that, they both trudged down the hill to the gamekeeper's hut. A pillar of smoke marked their destination, and Hugo was the first to spot the giant of a man.

"Hagrid!" they both ran down the hill towards him, and Hagrid raised his arms to hug them. Pulling away, he spoke.

"Come on in, then. Don't wan' you two ter freeze out here." They went into his hut, which was very cosy; small, but had a homely feel to it. Settling down into two chairs, the teens looked about the place. Hams and pheasants hung from the wall, and a hole in the wall (presumably the fireplace) had a copper kettle placed above logs of wood. In the corner stood a large bed decorated with patchwork quilt, with a pink umbrella and a crossbow placed at the foot of the bed. By the opposite wall, there was a bucket which seemed to emit strange noises.

"So, Lily, how're you feeling? Hope that Kelpie encounter didn't scare ya too much."

"What _is _a Kelpie, Hagrid? Professor Bennett didn't say much except that it's a water demon, or something."

"Kelpies are dangerous things, you don' wanna mess with them. The Ministry classifies them as Level Four, which means that they're dangerous. Here," he strode over to the bucket and carried it over to the table where they sat. When Hugo bent over the top of the bucket, Hagrid quickly pushed him back into his seat.

"Don't do that. I've got a Kelpie here, just a small one, but they can still do yer some harm." The creature inside was barely visible under the dim light of Hagrid's hut. It sort of swam around the bucket but stopped every so often. The three of them watched as it suddenly transformed into a small water horse.

"That's what I saw in the castle, only bigger!" Lily exclaimed.

"But why would they be inside the school?" asked Hugo.

"Why indeed, Hugo. You remember how the headmaster told you not to go near the Black Lake?" they nodded. "That's why. I think they found a way to get inta the school grounds through the lake, so we gotta be careful. The headmaster's doin' everthing he can ter stop 'em." The hut fell into silence, as none of them knew what to say. After a brief period, Lily spoke up again,

"So...what did you call us here for, Hagrid?"

"Ah yes," a spark lit in his eyes. "I've got some'ing ter show yer." He rose, and headed out the front door. They heard him whistle, then a bark followed. When he came back in, a dog also padded in. It slunk under the table and wrapped its tail around Lily's legs.

"That's Fang, my pet boarhound. Now, I've gotta go someplace after Christmas, orders of Bennett. I want you two to look after him, alrigh'?" They simply nodded out of confusion. Not knowing was frustrating for Lily, but she thought better than to push the matter. Their visit continued with Hagrid explaining to them how to care for the dog. The food, the bedding and its habits. The two cousins learned quickly, and were soon knowledgeable enough to get dogs of their own.

Soon, night fell and Hagrid shooed them out, not wanting them to be caught outside after curfew. Wishing him good health, Lily and Hugo made their way back up to the school.

"So." started Hugo. "Goodnight, Lily. Be sure to visit our den sometime."

She smiled at him, "Ok, Hugh, only because you won't visit my snake pit."

"You'd never catch me there."

"Goodnight." they stood there for a few moments more, a silent conversation dancing between their eyes, before heading to their respective common rooms.

* * *

The next day, Lily barely had time to catch her breath as a new week of lessons began. On the Tuesday, she was running to her Transfiguration lesson when-

WHAM!

She had slammed straight into a suit of armour. Cursing herself for being so clumsy, she picked up all her books, knowing Professor Vaisey wouldn't be pleased with her being late. As she made to stand up, a ghost appeared from the suit of armour and guffawed loudly before floating down the corridor shouting, "Ickle Little Potter, landing on her blotter! Mummy and Daddy won't be happy, hahahaha!"

A pair of legs entered her view, followed by a hand.

"Don't worry about Peeves. He just hasn't had anyone to pull pranks on since the Scamander twins left. Gosh, they were such trouble makers; even your family aren't as bad." she heard, looking up to see a boy. About five foot, curly black hair and glistening green eyes. She took the hand and he pulled her up. Brushing herself down, she introduced herself.

"Yes, I know who you are. I mean, come on, who doesn't? Anyway, I'm Andrew Pucey, but you can call me Andy. Everyone does."

"You're a first year, like me, right?"

"Yeah," he replied. "I think we're late for Transfiguration, let's go"

They ran to the third floor where their class was held. Bursting into the room, Professor Vaisey was partway through transforming a mouse into a snuffbox. The interruption caused the spell to go amiss and the mouse was left with its latter half as a golden snuffbox.

"S-sorry professor, we-"

"No, I don't want to hear excuses. Just go sit down."

After the teacher's demonstration and a brief session of note taking, Professor watched them turn their mice into snuffboxes. Points were given for the quality of their transformation. A whisker on the box would lose them points, and Lily's had grown four.

"Bravo, Miss Corner! A perfect display of magic." The professor held up her perfectly transfigures mouse, now a box, for everyone to see. A few claps were heard, mainly from Gryffindor.

"Ugh, why is this so hard!" exclaimed Lily, hitting her head against the table.

"Oh, Lily. You're doing it wrong." uttered Phoebe. "You have to flick it up at the end, not down."

"Oh right." she tried again, but still could not get the mouse to transform into a box without some bit of the mouse remaining.

"What- is that?" asked her cousin as soon as he saw hers. It had turned purple and was expanding at quite a rapid pace. Throwing it on the ground, she started throwing random spells at it, in the hope of transforming it back, but to no avail.

"Miss Potter. Would you mind explaining what exactly has happened over there that causes you to make such a ruckus?"

"I don't know," she said sheepishly. A mutter from the teacher and it turned back into a mouse.

"Five points from Slytherin, for poor attitude in class!" This day could not go worse, she thought to herself as she slunk further back into her chair.

Sadly for her, it could. The Slytherin common room was very loud that evening. Lily and Phoebe were sitting at the table next to the window, as they usually did. Several people had already walked past Lily, sniggering and pointing. She couldn't stand it. When the next person came along and started giggling, she exploded.

"WHAT?! What is wrong with all of you?! Please, tell me, for I'm dying to know why you're all _dying _of laughter!" a few more laughs, then a lanky boy spoke up.

"Ickle Little Potter! Landing on her blotter!" The boy barely held in his laughter before the common room burst into more guffawing. Blushing furiously, she stormed up to her room, tailed by her friend.

"Lily, ignore them." consoled her friend.

"I just don't see what's so funny! I'd like to see them being attacked by Peeves." she moaned.

"Hey Lily." Their two roommates remarked as they walked into the room. Audibly groaning, she buried her face in her pillow and went to sleep.

**A/N: I think I just created a super creepy character! He's going to be important later on, so do you think I should make him less, or more... macabre? Read and review guys, much appreciated!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or anything affiliated with it. I only own the plot.**

Lily was not one to particularly show hate towards any certain person, but she broke that trait very quickly. The boy she met in front of the troll ballet tapestry, Craig Creevey, had not stopped pestering her since.

Still, he was a third year, so she hardly saw him during the day. It was only during lunch and between lessons that he took the time to seek her out. Her brothers quickly noticed it, Albus and Rose made special efforts to discourage him from pursuing her with threats and glares. He didn't seem to notice their 'messages' as, one frosty night in mid-November, he found her alone in the Library.

"So, Potter, penny for your thoughts?" he asked, placing a golden Galleon in front of her. Not one to be influenced by money, she brushed it away and returned to her homework, instantly regretting not returning to her common room after dinner.

"Don't be like that, Princess. I only want to talk." his voice was soft, which greatly clashed with his cocky demeanour.

"Go away, Creevey. I don't want to talk; especially to you!"

"Aw, don't be like that, Princess. After all, I know you came in here trying to catch my attention." She looked at him with a shocked but angry expression.

"Why else would you be here alone?" he winked at her, but his smirk was soon wiped off his face as she slapped him angrily round the head with her book. Standing up, she picked up her bag and started walking out. He grabbed her wrist, but before she could rip her arm out of his grip, he yanked a strand of hair from her head. He brought it under his nose and sniffed.

"Mmm, sweet and fresh, just how I imagined it would be." Completely freaked out now, she started running hurriedly back to her common room, angry thoughts coursing through her mind.

People would normally suggest just ignoring the boy, but Lily was determined not to let this Creevey boy harass her like this.

"We need to think of a plan."

"A plan? Why?"

"I need to embarrass that Creevey boy, d'you know him?"

Phoebe made a face of disgust. "Ugh, of course I know him. He's like the biggest pervert in school."

"Yup, and he tried to make a move on me!" said Lily, with a disgruntled face.

"No," she gasped. "He did not. The nerve!"

The two girls were sitting on their beds, Lily wrapped in her duvet up to her neck, and Phoebe was lying down in a reclining position. Pieces of paper, scattered across the floor, marked what was used to be their homework. Instead, devious plans were scribbled all over them but none were to Lily's satisfaction.

"Perhaps we should ask your brothers," suggested Phoebe. "They certainly know how to pull a good prank."

"It just be a _prank, _Phoebs. I have to get him to know that I'm not going to stand for his- his antics, and also to embarrass him so much that he won't come near a girl again."

"I don't know, Lily. That's going to be a hard one."

"Obviously, Phoebs. That's why you're here. A natural Slytherin." said Lily, with a sly smile on her face.

"Sorry Lils, I can't help you there. I don't want to get involved," shrugged Phoebe. She had always been one to stay out of troublesome situations. She was quite the witch, partly because she never did anything that warranted a punishment.

"Please, Phoebe? Just this once!" pleaded Lily, her eyes widening and her face contorting into a puppy face.

"No! No, no, no! I will not get involved. "

"Oh, come on! I know you want to. You've watched me do my stuff on my brothers, the thrill, the excitement. I know you're just _dying _to get involved."

"No! Stop it, Lils. I just don't want to ruin my good reputation that's all." Defeated, Lily toppled over into her bad and went to sleep, dreaming of fraudulent pranks that would rid her of Creevey.

The morning arrived and Lily went down to the Grand Hall with Phoebe, their previous conversation momentarily forgotten.

Suddenly, a loud crashing noise from outside the hall caused the hall to go silent; even the large Weasley family, who normally would not stop talking except to breathe. Lily noticed the teachers stood up, wands out, and that's when the doors flung open, blue flames tickling at the edges. Screams erupted from the student body as thirteen men strode in, clad in long black cloaks except for one. The man at the forefront, with platinum blonde hair and striking blue eyes, wore a suit. Black shirt, black blazer and charcoal grey trousers. Dressed in such perfection, she knew who it was immediately.

Scorpius Malfoy.

The twelve men behind him stopped as the last man entered the hall, waiting patiently between the two middle rows of tables. Scorpius kept on walking. The men stood tall, backs straight, eyes front. They hands were crossed in front of them, wands out and ready. They eyes showed no emotion, and from the way they walked and stood, Lily wasn't sure they had any.

Still striding towards the teacher's table, Scorpius abruptly shouted, "HOW DARE YOU!"

The voice she remembered, the soft, caressing voice, was replaced by a strangled cry that one might expect to come out of a crying person.

"HOW DARE YOU! YOU KNEW, YET YOU SAT HERE, LIKE A PIG, JUST WAITING! HOW DARE YOU!" the headmaster, whose face had turned sullen, sat back down, cradling his head in his hands. Scorpius, by this point, had stridden onto the raised platform and was now leaning over the table in front of the headmaster. Lily couldn't see either person's expression from where she sat. Then, a quiet voice, much unexpected, came from Scorpius.

"They died, and you did nothing. Nothing! Can you live with that? Two innocent people, not expecting to meet their death so soon. So viciously, so- cruelly. I hope you can live with this, Leto Bennett." By the end, his voiced had turned sour, a snarl. Quiet whispers had broken out among the students, but were silenced by glares from the men clad in black. Then, their headmaster spoke again, this time to the convoy of hooded men.

"I thank you for protecting Mr Malfoy. I appreciate your help, and you may go now. He is in safe hands."

"Safe hands?" growled Scorpius. "Safe? This place is not safe. Yes, I will stay here, but no. This place is not safe at all."

As the hooded men left the hall, the headmaster slunk down into his chair tiredly.

"We will speak of this matter in my office later, Mr Malfoy. For now, you may join your house for some breakfast."

Striding elegantly away, he made his way over to the Slytherin table. Seeing Albus, he nodded and sat down opposite him. Lily, who was sat between Albus and Phoebe, suddenly felt very hot. Not wanting to intrude on the blonde's personal matters, bowed her head and continued eating.

"Cousin, what- what happened?" asked Phoebe.

"It's-uh. It's complicated, Phoebe." His voice was dark and low, contrasting his angelic features.

"Just as I though. Everything with you is complicated."

"It's about our parents, Phoebs." Lily's head jerked up. Phoebe was staring blankly at Scorpius, eyes wide and mouth hanging slightly open in a shocked expression.

"Our parents?" she whispered. "No-"

"Al, yours too. Perhaps you should come to Bennett's office with me." Even Albus was surprised by that, nodding his head in acknowledgement.

"Anyway, I'm glad to be back, even if I am in the danger of being killed." A lighter voice came from Scorpius this time. Lily was caught off guard as to how quickly his mood could change.

"It's nice to have you back. I'll finally learn something in potions with you here." replied Albus.

"You'll never learn anything in potions, Al." Albus laughed, wanting to relax the tension. It didn't work, with Scorpius merely shrugging. Finally, he noticed Lily.

"Ah, Miss Potter. So nice to see you again," he said in a soft voice, much like he had in their previous encounter.

"What? You two have met?! Oh, damn! How could I have missed this? Where was it, Lils, where?" exploded Albus. His eyes were wide and his mouth was wide open, wearing a shocked expression.

"She slapped me on the face in Diagon Alley." returned Scorpius.

"It was not a slap. I accidentally hit you."

"On my cheek, with your palm. So it was a slap." smiled Scorpius.

"It was not a-"

"Oh shut it, you two. Not together for five minutes and you're already bickering like little children." hissed Phoebe, who was embarrassed that their argument had caught the attention of the surrounding Slytherins.

"Lily here is little."

"Shut it, Malfoy."

"Oooh, touchy touchy." Not wanting to cause any more trouble, she finished her food quickly and left, half jogging out of the hall.

* * *

A few days later, Lily and Phoebe were called to go to Professor Bennett's office. Not taking their time at all, they quickly made their way to the headmaster's tower, where the office was located. Neither Phoebe nor Lily had been here before, so they had no clue as to how to get in. The gargoyle stood their, patiently, awaiting the password. They didn't know the password, and so stood there, hoping a passerby might know.

"Lils!, what're you doing?"

"Hey Al. I-uh, don't know the password." she replied.

"Ah. I'd forgotten you've never been here," he ruffled his sister's hair as he spoke. "Oh, how are you, Phoebe? Not getting into trouble are you?"

"No, Al. I'd never."

"Um, Al? If you don't mind-" she motioned toward the gargoyle.

"Ah yes. Olympus." a deep boom emanated from the gargoyle; it started rotating, revealing a narrow winding staircase. Reaching the top, their way was blocked by a large wooden door.

"Come on then," said Albus, and the three of them headed inside.


End file.
